“Yes, I know. Will you trust me with it for now?”
“You bet.” Without hesitation, she put the key in Rowenas hand. Reaching back for Jordan, she grinned at her friends. “What a ride.”
“You scared the hell out of us.” Malory swallowed back tears. “Both of you.”
“Your face is bruised. Her face is bruised,”Zoe said, and moved in immediately. “Her arms bleeding. Oh, her poor throat. Where are the bandages?”
“She wont need them, little mother,”Pitte stated calmly.
“I cut my arm on some glass, breaking into the Peak, or the Watch, I should say. And my knee feels about the size of a watermelon. As scary and weird as the whole thing was, I have to admit, it was also very cool. I was…”
She trailed off, looking down in surprise at the knee that had throbbed until Rowena laid hands on it. “Wow, that feels good. Better than usual.”
“Maybe so, but I bet you can still use this.” Brad pushed a snifter into her hand. “I remembered where you keep the brandy,” he told her, then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “Welcome back, baby.”
“Good to be back.” She downed a swallow of brandy, then passed the snifter to Jordan. “Theres a lot to tell.”
“Would you prefer to stay here and rest, or are you feeling well enough to come to the Peak tonight and use the key?”
Dana studied Rowena as the woman stroked her fingers over her bruised cheek. “Youd wait?”
“The choice is yours. It always has been.”
“Well, Im up for it.” She glanced at the clock, nearly goggled. “Nine? How can it be only nine oclock? I feel like I was out for days.”
“Sixty-eight of the longest minutes of my life,” Flynn told her. “If you want to do this tonight, well go with you.”
“I have to call the baby-sitter.”Zoe flushed as all heads turned toward her. “I know that sounds silly considering, but—”
“Theres nothing silly about making certain your child is safe and well tended.” Rowena rose. “Pitteand I will take the key, and wait for you.”
“If theres a problem with the sitter,” Brad began, “Ill go stay with Simon. You should be with the others for this.”
“Oh, well.” Flustered, she backed out of the room. “Im sure Mrs. Hanson wont mind staying a bit later. But thanks. Ill just go call.”
“Well start up as soon asZoes ready.” Dana turned back to look at Rowena, but she andPitte were gone. “Man, they sure do poof in and poof out, dont they?”
“Theyd have saved us an hours driving time round-trip if theydpoofed us with them.” Jordan danced his fingers lightly over her cheek, down the column of her throat. The bruise and scrapes were gone. “You sure youre up to this?”
“Not only up for it, raring. Well fill you guys in on everything when we get to the Peak. Ill feel better once the keys in the lock.”
IN the portrait room they were served good, rich coffee and small sugary cakes while Dana and Jordan took turns filling in those sixty-eight minutes.
“You were so smart,”Zoe commented. “I dont know how you kept your head.”
“There were moments when I lost it. Id get confused, or Id get scared, or hed change the plot on me. It helped a lot when I realized that Jordan was either there or manipulating things, too. Getting rid of that maze Kane had created, pointing me toward the right door, made a big difference.”
“I didnt care for his editorial input.” Jordan took her hand, kissed it just above the ruby. “And, in this case, I decided the hero should take a more active role in the denouement.”
“No complaints here.”
“Do you think you killed him?” Malory wanted to know. “When you pushed him over the wall of the parapet?”
“No, I dont think so. He went, you know.” Dana wagged a thumb toward Rowena andPitte . “Poof.”
“But we hurt him,” Jordan put in. “And not just his pride. He felt it when I punched him, just like he felt it when Dana tried to rip his face off. He bled. If he can bleed, he can be killed.”
“Not completely.” Rings sparkled on Rowenas hands as she poured more coffee. “Death is different for us, and some part of what we are remains. In the trees, in the stones, in the earth or the water or wind.”